Mavericks continue winning despite variety of distractions

Published 6:30 am, Tuesday, January 22, 2002

And you think the Rockets have been enduring tribulations.

The Rockets only think they've had problems. Compared to the Dallas Mavericks, the Rockets are practically living a utopian existence.

The Mavericks first lost Michael Finley, whose 20-point scoring average is on the bench while the All-Star guard recovers from a pulled left hamstring. The injury meant an end to the iron-man streak of 490 straight games played for Finley, last year's leader in minutes played.

And when the Mavericks hit the Compaq Center floor for tonight's game against the Rockets, they will be without head coach Don Nelson, who has more important things to worry about than a basketball game. Nelson is with his wife, Joy, who underwent breast cancer surgery Monday.

So rather than celebrating his 1,000th victory, a recently earned milestone shared by only two other coaches in NBA history -- Lenny Wilkens and Pat Riley -- Nelson has had other things on his mind ever since he got the news on Jan. 3, almost a year to the day since his own cancer operation.

"It's much tougher with her, with someone you love," said Nelson, who underwent successful prostate cancer surgery on Jan. 4, 2001.

When he got the news, Nelson couldn't even tell his team. So after a 108-101 overtime loss at New York, which snapped a 10-game Mavs winning streak, Nelson asked assistant coach Del Harris to break the results of Joy Nelson's biopsy to the Dallas players.

"This hit him really hard, and how could it not?" Mavericks point guard Steve Nash told the Dallas Morning News. "We all love Joy, and we all know how much Nellie does. It's a lot for them to go through in one year."

To say the least.

"We're all a family," Finley said. "We'll continue to pray for her."

Sitting in Nelson's seat will be his son, Donnie, who took on similar responsibilities last year when his father left the team to have a malignant tumor removed from his prostate, missing 21 games.

Donnie Nelson led the Mavs to a 13-8 record during that ordeal, but he doesn't expect this assignment to last nearly as long.

"It's almost more like taking over for a coach that's been ejected," he said.

The Mavericks are also minus something else, which should be evident from the moment they hit the court. Gone are the long, golden locks that once flowed from Dirk Nowitzki's noggin and made him look like the world's tallest beach bum.

To help Nelson's cause, Nowitzki allowed his head to be shaved, with the hair then bagged and signed by the Dallas star. The auction, an idea by Don Nelson, is raising money for breast cancer.

Still, the Mavericks have been on a roll, winning 17 of 20 games.

After their 113-105 victory over East-leading New Jersey on Monday, the Mavericks are 29-12, setting a franchise record for wins at the halfway point of the season and trailing only Minnesota in the Midwest Division.

How have they done it despite such profound distractions as the loss of Finley, Nelson's tribulations and the sideshow of owner Mark Cuban's ongoing battles with NBA officials?

Good question.

The prevailing notion is that every time the Mavs set foot on the floor, they are getting contributions from everyone who plays.

In Monday's game against New Jersey, the 6-8 Najera came off the bench to contribute seven points, seven rebounds and six steals.

"I don't know how much longer we can keep hiding this guy," said Don Nelson of Najera, who was drafted by the Rockets in 2000 and traded to Dallas for the rights to Dan Langhi. "He just has the energy and finds a way to make plays and is so relentless."

And then there's the Mavs' aerial attack. While Nash, Hardaway, Newman, Griffin and Finley (when he's healthy) can bomb away from the arc, so, too, can the 7-1 Nowitzki and 7-0 Wang, which creates huge mismatches.

When the Atlanta Hawks decided to go with a zone defense, the Mavericks responded by hoisting a league-high 40 3-pointers, making a record-tying 18 in a 116-107 victory. Hardaway and Nowitzki each made six 3s, and Nash knocked down five. Nowitzki, who is averaging 36.3 points over his last four games, finished with a career-high 40 points against the Hawks.

It can be maddening for an opposing defense, as the San Antonio Spurs found out on Dec. 26, when Finley (28 points), Nash (27) and Nowitzki (26) led the Mavs to a win despite a career-high 53 points from Tim Duncan.

"They are really hard to defend," Duncan said. "Not only because of the (main) guys, but because they get up and down and are semi-reckless. They can really shoot it from anywhere, and it's tough to play against that."

Especially when Nash is getting in on the action.

With Finley sidelined, Nash has picked up his scoring, dropping in at least 19 points in five of the last six games (scoring only four in a 113-87 loss to Orlando on Jan. 14 when Nelson benched his starters to save them for the following night's game against Atlanta).

"He (Nash) has the ability to score, and we want him to take advantage of that," Nelson said. "We're better when he does that, and it adds a nice blend. If he can get 18 to 20 points and still get eight, nine, 10 assists, that's what sets him apart. A lot of point guards can't do that."